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Hoppin’ ‘n’ Poppin’ at Nettie's Kettle Corn

Five years ago, Joe Clemente had never heard of kettle corn, and now he pops 750 pounds of kernels a week to make Nettie’s Kettle Corn, named after his partner Linda Rossi’s great-grandmother. It was Rossi who caught a whiff of this Pennsylvania Dutch snack at the Wickford Art Festival in 2009, and Clemente, a RISD grad who had worked as a chef and a real estate agent, snapped his fingers at the chance to turn a county-fair product into a full-time business.

In their industrial Pawtucket kitchen, Clemente and Rossi use automated stainless steel pots, only bringing out the copper “kettle” for cooking on-site. Using quality popping corn, corn oil, sugar and salt, they have turned out a not-too-sweet, not-too-salty incarnation.

Since their first entree into a grocery store, they’ve grown to 90 outlets across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, including Eastside Marketplace and Shaw’s supermarkets here. At farmers’ markets, they offer flavors such as cinnamon-sugar, white cheddar, maple, dill, strawberry, sugar-free, pumpkin spice and, around the holidays, several “chocolate-drenched” options.

Available at the Wintertime Farmers’ Market in Pawtucket and select grocers statewide.
203 Concord St., Pawtucket. 401.721.9900 or visit them on Facebook.